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“Scarlet, don’t! You can’t do those without a sacrifice. You’ll shatter your soul. Trust me, it’s not worth it.” Shadows spark around his hands as he tries to use his gift, but they fizzle out as if they were never there.
“Just shut up! Please! I can’t focus with you shouting.”
Despite Sebastian’s narrowed eyes, I notice them fluttering, betraying his weakened state. He finally relents, removing his hands to allow me to do what I need to.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I focus on the words of the spell, allowing them to fill my thoughts. The air around us crackles with energy, and I feel the drain on my magic as the spell starts to take root, knitting the skin closed from the inside out. Poison floods the middle of the wound, the sour scent of it filling my nose as it’s drawn out by the power. It’s working... The spell feels like a weight pressing down on my chest, making it difficult to breathe, but I refuse to let it stop me.
“Scarlet...” Sebastian’s voice is barely a whisper, but it’s filled with concern. His head lolls as he tries to sit up. “That’s enough! You’ve done enough.”
I release the spell, feeling drained, but I didn’t take too much. I hovered the line and my soul will regenerate. I know it will.
Sebastian’s wound isn’t fully closed, but the bleeding has stopped, and the poison is out. He’ll live, and Zephyr will be able to stitch him up the rest of the way.
Dizzy and disoriented, I attempt to stand up, my legs wobbling beneath me. The world tilts and sways, the colors of the room swirling together. My heart pounds in my chest, its rhythm erratic and frightening.
“Scarlet?” Sebastian’s voice is distant and distorted as if filtered through water.
My breath catches in my throat, and I struggle to remain upright. Knees buckling, my hands grip the edge of the bed for support. Despite my best efforts, darkness creeps into the corners of my vision.
“Scarlet!”
I can’t respond; my tongue is heavy and numb. The room tilts again, and my grip on the bed falters. I crumple to the floor. A ringing explodes inside my head as I try to regain control of my body.
“Gods fucking damn you, woman,” Sebastian’s voice echoes through the haze, growing fainter with each syllable. The darkness engulfs me completely, swallowing me whole.
29
Hook
Themedbayisso quiet... Most of the men Zephyr and his assistant tended to during the storm have all been returned to their spaces, bandaged and drugged.
Luckily, we were able to retrieve a few of the crew that had gone overboard once the storm settled—one being the alchemist. The seas must’ve been rough enough to drive the beasts down deep. Two of my crew are still missing, and I know the likelihood of finding them now isn’t good. In fact, it’d be a miracle if we did.
Not that anyone’s life is more valuable than others, but we’d be shit out of luck without Jordi to make all his concoctions. If it weren’t for him and his magic potions, as he calls them, I’d still be gimping around here like I’d be shot with a cannonball. I’m not sure how he does it, but he’s managed to synthesize pain meds and anesthetics, and so much more in his little portion of the ship. It’s why he has the second-hand’s quarters, to make space for all his science shit.
It works though... I’ll give him that. He’s the reason I don’t feel pain right now. Scarlet healed me enough to save my life and draw out the poison, but I still had a gaping wound by the time it was over. Even with my healing abilities, it’ll take time to close up.
I felt fucking useless... She collapsed and I could barely hold my own weight to stand, let alone carry her to get help. It was all I could do, while still recovering from the poison, to crawl off the bed and drag her into my arms. I’m just lucky she didn’t need immediate attention, or I wouldn’t be sitting next to her, fast asleep in her cot. I’d be planning her funeral.
She shouldn’t have done that fucking spell...
“How do you feel?” Zephyr asks, pulling back the curtain to come sit next to me on the wooden bench.
I shoot him a side-eye. “What do you think?”
“That’s not what I mean... It wasn’t that long ago that you practically begged me to sedate her. I know it’s a shitty way to get a break from the bond, but it doesn’t mean I’m not curious about whether it’s helping or not.”
Arching an eyebrow, I lean back against the wall and pick at my fingers. Blood still coats them. I haven’t left her side long enough to wash it off. “What? Are you going to Ether Lorian next time he pisses you off?”
Zephyr doesn’t look at me, but his lips tug into a smirk. “Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, but no. I believe in working through our problems, not postponing them. That and I meant what I said before. Our supply is dangerously low, and Jordi can’t make more unless he has Everbloom to distill it from. So, unless you’re planning to take a trip to Neverland soon, it’s a last resort only.”
Reaching out to hold Scarlet’s hand, I bring our intertwined fingers to my lips. “Is it that bad?” I can feel Zephyr’s stare, locked on the side of my face, but I don’t care.
“No... She’ll be alright. I gave it to her at first because I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but Lorian looked her over and she’s not in pain. Her soul is still intact, though she’ll need time to recover before doing magic again. A day or two will be sufficient.”
“Then why is she still asleep?” Stroking my thumb over the top of her hand, I can’t stop looking at her. It’s like every piece of me is on pins and needles, just waiting for her to open her eyes, like my brain can’t relax until she does. It won’t believe she’s truly okay until it sees it.
“Well, like I said. It was a last resort, but it wasn’t for her sake. You needed a moment to relax. I’ve never seen you that... distraught before. Not even when your father died. So, sure, our supply is low, but this ship needs its captain and at the time, I wasn’t sure our captain was going to survive if she turned out to not be okay.”
